Pesto Pasta Salad
from kristineskitchenblog.comThis Pesto Pasta Salad is easy to make with homemade or store-bought pesto sauce. The recipe below includes how to make my favorite basil pesto. This pasta salad makes a great side dish at a BBQ or potluck. We also love it for dinner, served with grilled or baked chicken for protein.
Servings: 8 -10 servings
Calories: 432kcal
Ingredients
For the Pasta Salad:
- 12 ounces short pasta shapes such as fusilli, cavatappi, farfalle, penne or campanelle
- 1 cup pesto sauce see recipe below or use store-bought
- 1 red or yellow bell pepper chopped
- 1 English cucumber chopped
- 8 ounces cherry tomatoes halved
- 14 ounce can artichoke hearts drained and chopped
- black pepper to taste
For the Pesto Sauce:
- 3 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup toasted pine nuts
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 ounces
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Drain pasta well and transfer to a large bowl to cool.
- If making homemade pesto sauce, place all pesto ingredients except olive oil into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. With the food processor running, slowly pour the olive oil in a steady stream through the feed tube. Process until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Stir the pesto sauce into the cooled pasta until the pasta is coated with the sauce.
- Add the bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes and artichoke hearts to the bowl and stir to combine. Season with pepper, to taste. If the pasta salad seems dry, drizzle on a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and stir to incorporate.
- Pasta salad can be served immediately, but is best if chilled for at least 2 hours before serving. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
Video
Notes
- Store pesto pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. If it dries out over time, stir in a little extra olive oil.
Nutrition
Calories: 432kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 378mg | Potassium: 334mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1671IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 2mg
